Celtics-Lakers, Game Three, Fourth Quarter: And for lack of a better idea, it's a series

> The Celts go with scrubs to start the fourth, like always, and like always, the announcers hate this. Vujacic and Allen swap threes and the lead, and Jesus has 25 and all of the credit for the Celtics' lead. But PJ Brown looks like he's, you know, 200 years old. (Rather than his usual spry 53.)

> Rondo hasn't returned, but neither has Cassel, so there's a bit of sense shown there. Rivers brings Pierce back at 10:08, so once again, he's gotten away with the bench time.

> Every time Lamar Odom drives, it's an offensive foul. He's got 4 points and 4 fouls tonight, and seems way too interested in confirming all of the doubters.

> Leon Powe getting fourth quarter run and playing well. And just as the Celtics have started to really balance out the free throws, Bryant just drives and again misses the first. That's seven misses in a two point game. Huge.

> Jordan Farmer gets Paul Pierce's fifth (he's 1 of 10 from the field, and yet the Celtics are leading -- unbelievable), and as predicted, the Lakers have shown a little more interest in drawing charges at home. This game is suddenly looking more like Celtics-Pistons, or Celtics-Cavs, or a endoscopy...

> Vujacic ties it with 8:10 left. He's just a few flops away from reaching Ginobili levels of annoyance, which is to say, he can play. But like most young players, much more at home.

> With eight minutes left in the game, Jeff van Gundy is ranting about paying full price at the barbershop despite being bald. I think that's a sign that this isn't a particularly compelling game, despite the stakes.

> Rondo's back, and Kobe's off him to harass Garnett, then hits an open 3 off a scramble. Lakers lead again at 6:45, and after a Garnett miss -- is the pre-series script coming true? -- Fisher goes to the line. After two makes, it's a 3 point game at 6:27.

> Odom with a steal as the Celtics look terrible of offense. Bryant salivating, driving, getting to the line. Can he finally make both? He's almost shot better from the field than the line. After two makes, it's a 5 point game, and the Lakers' biggest lead in a long time, after a 7-0 run in less than a minute.

> Allen misses, but Rondo collects an easy o board. Celts double Kobe, and Odom misses, but Gasol tips it in, and that's a big hoop. Odom nearly turns it on an easy board, then turns it on one of his doomed drives... but Pierce also misses, and it's Referee Swallowing Whistles now. Jackson calls a timeout that I would honestly describe as astute. Jesus, I'm turning into Hubie Brown here. 75-70, Lake Show, with 4:25 left.

> Odom misses a jam, but Gasol cleans it again, pushing it to seven. Curious to go to Odom there, but the Celtics are pretty much playing a box and one on Bryant right now. Pierce makes his first really good play of the night, but misses the free throw. Fisher misses a three, but gets the o board, and Brown fouls while reaching for his catheter. As has been true all night, a free throw is missed (this one by Gasol). It's 6 with 3:30 left.

> Bryant is called for a terrible foul (in that he more or less committed assault) and the ref barks at him afterward. A lesser player would have his second technical and would be watching the rest of the game from the locker room, but even Tim Donaghy is not taking the odds of Kobe Bryant getting his second technical. Seriously, so long as he keeps it within the Artest Level, he's staying. And we've got Yet Another Timeout, because why should the game end in less than three hours, or before midnight?

> After the ads, Piece makes both -- a novel idea -- and it's four. Kobe never touches the ball, and Gasol gets his arm yanked on yet another Brown foul (this one not called); it's a turnover. Garnett scores in the clutch (yes, I wrote it) to make it two. Vujacic misses, and someone might want to get the ball to Bryant here. House misses. Vujacic from the corner hits a huge 3 after the Bryant double, and it's five. Pierce doesn't get a call on one of his fullback drives to the hoop, but Fisher does in transition, and the one thing he's doing is hitting his free throws. It's 7 with 1:33 left, and if the Lakers hold on, the Vujacic 3 was the dagger.

> It's 23-14 Lakers in the fourth so far, with the boards going to LA as well. Pierce and Bryant seem to be chatting over a fence. Allen feeds Garnett for an easy dunk, way, way too easy. Lakers run clock. Celtics don't double Kobe and he makes them pay, but House answers with a 3, and it's 4 with 50 seconds left. It's been a bad game, but a good close... and Bryant just absolutely destroys Allen again for an easy jumper. It's six again with 38 seconds left.

> All series long, people have been waiting for Doc Rivers to blow a game, and having Allen on Bryant, solo, on the two biggest shots of the game might be the gag you were looking for. Seriously, I have no idea why they'd do that.

> House misses, but they get the o board. Bodies are on the floor all over the place, and for the first time in NBA history, a moving screen is called on a superstar (Garnett) late in a close playoff game. To be fair, the refs did let Garnet have the first two.

> Despite a good amount of time on the clock, the Celtics don't foul. No one knows why. After an Odom foul and a Pierce miss, the game is over, and man, there's a million questions here.

How does Paul Pierce go 2 of 14 after being the best player on the floor? What drugs was Rivers on to play Allen on Bryant, solo, late? Is Rondo seriously hurt, or did Rivers just throw him under the bus for no good reason? Did the Lakers really just win a game where their second best player was Sasha Vujacic? Why didn't the Celtics foul late, especially with the Lakers missing so many free throws in the game? And does Bryant really have to score 36, with two of the Celtics' top three players mailing it in, to win a home game?

Game Four is Thursday. What, so soon?